Allister Responds to Appointment of new Chief Constable
12 August 2009
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister QC:
“Though coming to office with the blessing of Sinn Fein/IRA is far from a good recommendation, I will judge the new Chief Constable on his performance. I trust he will prove less of a political Chief Constable than his predecessor, who at the Government's behest overplayed the 'normalisation' game; denuding the PSNI of a terrorist-fighting capacity and adequate intelligence gathering facilities, making it easier of the IRA to return to murder.
“I would call on the new Chief Constable to reverse Orde’s dangerous policy of wholesale removal of personal protection weapons from former members of the security forces and unlike Orde to come clean on how many convicted terrorists have themselves been issued with PPWs.
“Orde was a Government linchpin in the politicisation of policing in Northern Ireland. I trust his replacement will be an improvement and in particular that for the sake of political expediency those who served gallantly in the RUC will not be disadvantaged under the new leadership.”
